AFRICA’S STORYTELLING TRADITION MUST PERSIST
For centuries, African history and tradition has been passed down from generation to generation by storytellers. Our storytelling culture was such that people were able to share traditions and entire family history through speech and song. Storytellers were effectively considered to be traditional keepers of society. Over the years, as large numbers of the African population migrated, both voluntarily and involuntarily, to other parts of the world, many of our stories, and the ability to tell them, have been forgotten.
However, over the last couple of decades members of the African diaspora have shown a renewed and acute interest in stories from home. Despite the internet facilitating access to African content, it remains challenging for people outside the continent to consume qualitative content. Creating and distributing premium African content will require a strong collaboration between members of diaspora and locals to effectively share authentic stories that will resonate around the world.
Renewed curiosity from a younger, often second or third generation of Afro-descendants, finds its roots in the democratisation of the internet. In today’s influencer culture, many have found alternative sources of “trusted” knowledge for their various interests. The appetite for Afro-centric content in the form of film and documentary is present, and there is even a keen interest from the diaspora to actively participate in creating new storylines for Africa. Nonetheless, due to historical and geographical disconnection between the diaspora and local populations, perceptions and realities may vary. The authenticity of the stories we aim bring to life must be based on shared knowledge and experiences rather than on preconceived ideas.
The beauty and strength of Afro-centric stories reside in the multidimensionality of shared experiences. Bringing all the different pieces together offers a better opportunity to create a more complete narrative about Africa and what it means to be African and Afro-descendant in the 21st century. Because Africa is so much more than it is perceived by many to be, and because African culture has long left the physical boundaries of the continent, it is essential for both those who have migrated and those who remain to collaborate and contribute in making afro-centric stories available for generations to come. Creating, distributing and consuming Afro-centric content must be a team effort.
Cultivating and fostering a modern generation of storytellers requires the creation of an enabling environment for them to thrive. Better cooperation and knowledge-sharing programmes are needed for both Africans and Afro-descendants to not only share their stories, but to also discover unknown stories and in turn to create genuine content. For example, there could be more programmes enabling creatives from the diaspora to go back to the continent to experience the realities of it and vice versa for local African creators to experience life as an Afro-descendant in other parts of the world. Those experiences will work to enrich Afro-centric stories and the way they are told.
I believe that visual content, such as films, TV series or documentaries, have been the best conduit to share stories in recent years as they have played a crucial role in shaping cultural attitudes and perceptions. Furthermore, I believe that Afro-centric stories deserve a strong platform to ensure they achieve global reach. I created Africa Prime, a video-on-demand (SVOD) streaming platform curating pan-African content, to provide a platform for African creatives to showcase their work and talent to a global audience. Additionally, I have created the Africa Prime Initiative (API), the philanthropic arm of Africa Prime, which aims to support emerging African filmmakers and content producers across the continent by equipping them with funding, technical knowhow and an international platform to showcase their work and talent to the world.
Sharing stories has long been an integral part of Africa’s overall history. Despite significant numbers migrating out of the continent over many decades, Afro-centric stories have evolved, adapted and lived on. Today, despite how technology has facilitated access to Afro-centric content, authentic premium content remains challenging to come by and greater collaboration between members of the diaspora and local African content creators might bring solutions to this challenge.
